David Nicholls – One Day

Content

Emma and Dexter meet each other once a year. Dexter is the typical bachelor who looks for another woman every weekend and who yet isn’t down to earth. In contrast Emma doesn’t think much of this lifestyle. Nevertheless a deep friendship develops, which leaves the feeling that there is more behind it…

My opinion

It took me quite long to read this book. It made me thinking. I think, almost everybody knows it, when a person is turning up in life every now and then – no matter if this is someone you love or not. And then you read a book, that makes you believing, that luck can be so near to you, but you don’t seize the chance. It is a book which you definitly have to be in the right mood for. Nothing is told in a cheesy or unrealistic way and that’s what makes it hard in some moments – it’s just how life is. As a reader you don’t start dreaming or even swarming, no, you have to face reality. But I have to admit, that at another point in life I may wouldn’t have found the book that touching.

Another point why it took so long reading the book is that the story is very prolonged at some points. Then I was inattentive and only skimmed these parts. Some things just didn’t interest me and weren’t of any importance for the story. Moreover there are these leaps in time which make it difficult to orientate oneself.

At the beginning I didn’t know how the book is going to end. I had a presumption, which was confirmed partly, but the real ending was told to me by my mum in advance. First, I was quite annoyed because I really can’t stand it when there is no suspense left. But in this case it didn’t bother me later on. The way to the end is more important here then the end itself. Even if the message of this book is enforced by the ending, in my opinion. The end also garnered a lot of criticism because it is going into the cheesy direction. In my opinion it is just the real kitsch of life and absolutly comprehensible for me.

To put it in a nutshell, I found the book very touching, but some shortening wouldn’t have harmed. I haven’t seen the movie (yet), so I can’t make any comparision to it. The rating is somehow hard for me because the book made me thinking and it still bothers me, but it was not convincing enough.